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Bachchan was born in the city of Allahabad, India on October 11, 1942. His father, Harivansh Rai Bachchan, was a well-known poet of Urdu and Hindi. The original last name of the family is "Srivastava"; "Bachchan" was in fact a pen name used by his father. However, when Bachchan entered films he did so under his father's pen name. Now he is never known as anything but Amitabh Bachchan. His immediate family has also adopted the Bachchan surname. His mother is Teji Bachchan.

Bachchan attended Allahabad's Boys' High School, followed by Nainital's Sherwood College,
where he gained a degree in art. He later went on to study at Kirori
Mal College in Delhi University earning a degree in science. When he
was in his twenties, Bachchan gave up a job as freight broker for the
shipping firm, Bird and Co., based in Kolkata, to pursue a career in acting.

He is married to actress Jaya Bhaduri(now Bachchan). The couple have two children: daughter Shweta and son Abhishek. Abhishek Bachchan has also entered theBollywood film industry.

Bachchan is said to have met Jaya Bhaduri at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) at Pune, though there is no evidence to confirm that he was ever enrolled there as a student.

In 1984, Bachchan briefly entered politics in support of long-time family friend Rajiv Gandhi.
He contested Allahabad's Parliament seat against H. N. Bahuguna, a
well-known politician, and won by a large margin (68.2% of the
vote).His political career, however, was short-lived: he resigned after
only three years, not finishing his term. At the time of his
resignation, it was rumoured that he might have been involved in the
Bofors Scandal. Bachchan was not implicated in the case, and has since distanced himself from the Gandhifamily. He denies that the two events were connected, commenting that he "should have never got into politics".

He has two grandchildren: Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda.

In
November 2005, Bachchan was admitted to India's Lilavati Hospital, in
order to undergo surgery on his intestine. The procedure came after
Bachchan complained of pain in his abdomen, and the issue is said to
have been related to a 1983 injury. After the operation, Bachchan took
several months off from work, unable to leave his home even to shoot
the sequel to his recently-launched television program, Kaun Banega Crorepati 2. By April 2006 Bachchan had resumed shooting for most of his projects.

Trivia-

During the shooting of the film Coolie in 1982 Amitabh
had got badly injured while filming a fight scene and was almost lying
on his death bed for months. He finally recovered and resumed shooting
for Coolie which when released became a huge hit at the box office.

He has not made a public appearance without his goatee since
Mohabbatein, although in Khakee and Lakshya the goatee was reduced to a
moustache; he grew it back as soon as the films finished
post-production.

His parents initially planned to name him "Inquilaab", which means "Revolution".

He is ambidextrous, though on-screen he is most often seen using his left hand.

He
once burned his hand badly while lighting a firecracker. For this
reason, he kept the hand concealed throughout much of the filming of
Sharaabi. Most viewers took this to be an artistic "statement".

Before entering the film industry, Bachchan applied for a job with All India Radio. He was turned down because of his unusual voice.

He learned sign language for his 2005 film, Black.

He has played a Dual role in many films such as Adalat, Bandhe Haath, Desh Premee,
Satte Pe Satta, Aakhree Raasta, The Great Gambler, Toofan, Bade Miyan
Chote Miyan, Sooryavansham, Don, and Lal Baadshah. He also played a
triple role in Mahaan.

While
filming the movie Aks, he did much of his own stunt work even though he
was 58 years old at the time. During one fight scene, he jumped 30 feet
down a waterfall.

The Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Centerin
New York hosted a special tribute to Bachchan, showing many of his
popular films. The tribute also included "An Evening with Amitabh
Bachchan", a live appearance by Bachchan hosted at the Lincoln Center's
Alice Trully Hall. Tickets were priced at $60.00 per seat and the event sold out days in advance.

I don't hang out with a lot of
people. I hardly party. But if I confide, there are very few people...
there's Abhishek, Sanju, Suniel Shetty. We might speak to one another
once a week or so, but we know we are there for each other.

Amitabh Bachchan

Abhishek would've told me first if there was anything serious happening! We are more like friends than father and son.

They should judge Abhishek for what he is. It is unfair to compare him with me.

Its not easy to be subjected to humiliation and ridicule and still have the temerity to fight back. But he did it on his own

Anupam Kher

He's a thorough professional. He has a combination of both his parents' talent, but he knows that in order to prove himself, he will always have to work very hard!

Bipasha Basu

He's neither a boy nor a man.

Bubbles Behl

He is
a wonderful boy, very down to earth with absolutely no hang-ups. He's
very well brought up and a thorough gentleman. I've seen him right from
childhood and I feel Amitabh and Jaya have given a lot of time to their kids. As an actor, he's very intelligent and very good, especially the way he delivers his dialogues!

Esha Deol

Abhishek is a lovely lovely boy.

Hrithik Roshan

I
love the fact that I face healthy competition from actors like Abhishek
Bachchan because it forces me to do well. I believe in doing my best -
to fit into different roles and bring out the human side of every character.

If Abhishek had his release in January, maybe he would be the guy experiencing this craze, not I.

Jaya Bachchan

Abhishek is a fabulous son, but like every other child, there have been a few exasperating moments.

Abhishek has a lot of
both his parents but yes, people who are close, know him to be loving
and friendly like me. But he certainly has his father's dry sense of humour. I think it's quite a combination.

Kirron Kher

Abhishek is very warm and affectionate. He always participates in a conversation and is very talkative with the people he knows.

Preity Zinta

Abhishek is going to shock you (in KANK). His expressions, his interpretation of his character have to be seen to be believed. I truly believe Abhishek is the star of tomorrow.

He is one of the most cultured and funniest persons I have met.

He's delightful to work with!

My best friends in the industry are Karan Johar, Hrithik Roshan and Suzanne, Abhishek Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan and Gauri.

Priyanka Chopra

Abhishek
is a fantastic actor. He knows exactly what to do and how the film will
turn out. When he was acting I realised how intelligent he is as an
actor.

Abhishek and Hrithik are very different but very, very good actors. But Duggu (Hrithik) is also a spontaneous actor. Both of them are very focused on their roles.

Ram Gopal Varma

I knew there was an incredible dignity and the hero in him. When I finally worked with him, the novelty struck me.

I think Abhishek is a very, very different actor from his father. He is extremely perceptive. His understanding of life is more contemporary than mine or Mr Bachchan's.

Rani Mukerji

The
thing about me and Abhishek is that we are such close pals that our
chemistry works on the big screen. That's why after Bunty Aur Babli,
Karan Johar has signed us both in a film together.

When real life romance actors work together, there is always discomfort as a lot of personal things crop up. But two friends can work wonders when acting, like in the case of Shah Rukh and Kajol.

But
it's a good thing that people have linked us together as that will
benefit the films promotion. As far as Abhishek goes, I'm not dating
him. I have no time for dates. Personally I hope Abhishek gets a very
nice girl, as he is a good friend of mine and I can only hope the best for him.

Rinkie Khanna

I
think it's very unfair to make comparisons. Jaya aunty is an awesome
actress and Amitabh uncle is fabulous as well. But when it comes to
Abhishek, I'm sure he's going to have his own brand of super talent as well! I'm certain he will make his parents very proud.

Rohan Sippy

I can't remember the very first time I met Abhishek. He's younger than I, and when he came in, he was one of
the youngest kids in boarding school. Things were very different. He
was a 'small boy', not towering over everyone as he is today! We didn't
spend too much time together in school -- one tends to spend more time
with batchmates. But, back in India, we connected very quickly. We got
along very well because of alumni connections and old contacts. That helped. We became friends and work has just been helping the relationship.

As
a person, Abhishek is very warmhearted. He's extremely upfront and
clear about things in his head. This doesn't mean he's outspoken, but
he certainly articulates his thoughts. He's very well spoken. We catch
up whenever we can, and our friendship revolves around music, food and
films.

We like all kinds of food, everything from paaya to pasta, and we keep exploring different places to eat out. In terms of music, there's all kinds of stuff, from modern acoustic to urban hip-hop, hindi music to Tamil, something he has exposed me to. There's an amazing range of tastes in our collection.

In terms of
movies, again, there are no rules. Martin Scorsese is a big favourite
for us both, and there are many others. Getting the time to watch films
together is difficult though. We have our own commitments, and actors
are obviously very busy. Even when Abhishek is in town, he's normally
working 12-16 hours a day. So when we get some time to ourselves, we
generally turn to music. Sit down and discuss what's new on our iPods.
It is the best way to unwind.

In terms of
an actor-director dynamic, it is a very comfortable relationship. We
are very clear about what we want to do, and that helps us incorporate
any improvisation on the sets. He makes sure there's a relaxed
atmosphere on the sets. Everyone is bound to feel at home if the lead
actor is helping them out. There's a lot of
stress while shooting, so it's nice to have him come through and keep
everyone relaxed. He's very comfortable improvising, and a lot of what we end up with is totally unplanned, but that has to be with the right actors, who understand the situation.

He is definitely a prankster on the sets, and is often
fooling around. But I think that's mostly to keep the mood on the sets
light. And to make sure he himself doesn't get too tightly wound up. So
there is a practical side to his pranks and mayhem. He is actually a
very reserved person. By which I mean he is someone who isn't loud or
obnoxious. Coming from a family like he does, it's no surprise that
he's a very dignified person, and he's also very laidback. He doesn't
feel the need to project himself as anything or be louder. He's happy
to step back. As a person and an actor, he's very secure in himself.

Abhishek has a lot of friends, from all over the place! He has tons of
friends who are much older than he is, and he's got younger buddies as
well. He's very sociable, and the important thing is that he makes an
effort to keep old relationships active. He's still very close to his
schoolfriends. Just recently, he came down for an old schoolfriend's
wedding from a shoot, and spent two days there. His actions really show
how much his friends mean to him, how invaluable they are.

As an
actor, I think he has just started to get going. There's a lot more for
him to do. He's only just beginning to move into high gear. He should
keep going. He has worked with top directors like Mani Ratnam, I think
he understands that himself. He's doing his own thing.

An actor or a star... These labels go hand in hand. As he gets more success at the box office,
it will give him more independence to do the projects he wants. I don't
think he's consciously assigning more importance to either critics or
the box office. He's just doing his own thing. He genuinely enjoys getting up in the morning and going to work.

A dream birthday gift for Abhishek would be an iPod with all of the world's music in it. Every song ever. But in the size of a Nano.

Sikandar (Anupam & Kirron Kher's son)

I am
very close to Abhishek Bachchan. More than a friend, he is like an
elder brother to me. We are both sports freaks and play basketball
together or go for long drives in his car. We've spent some great times
together.

Sushma Reddy

Yes,
I want a man in my life but I have no time to look for one! And unless
it's Abhishek, I don't think there is anyone in the film industry who I
feel is my Mr. Right. To add more, he is also my dream co-star.

Tara Sharma

Abhishek is one prank-master! And I have been a bakra! This was during the shoot of
Om Jai Jagdaish in Rajasthan. I was asked to relax in my room while the
next shot was getting readied. When I reached my room, I was again
informed that Anupam needed me on the sets. When I turned to leave for
the sets, the door felt stiff and I was unable to open it. I soon
realized that Abhishek had locked the door from the outside. I kept
banging on the door, but the menace that he is, wouldn't open up.
Slowly I began to loose my cool, and only when the bangs became thuds
did he unlock the door!

Abhi is very playful.

What Abhishek Thinks-

About Himself / General

Critics have a job to do. They do not criticise you without a reason. I love dancing, but I am not very good at it.

It's not about being Mr. Popular, it's about doing what you think is right. I like to believe I am able to do that.

One
lady came up to me and said, "That's a really cute ass." I almost
fainted. I thought she was not talking to me and I turned and looked
around.

It is very simple. I may love doing what I do, but the big question is: Am I good at it?

I
work according to the direction given to me. However, I never tried to
look something hot like. But I gave an item number because Suniel
Shetty asked me to do so.

Really people treat me like that (like
a hero). I am a very simple guy though. But this is another thing that
nowadays my films are doing the magic. I mean 'Mera Jadoo chall Gaya'.

Every actor wants to be famous and people must admire the work of an actor. Obviously, I am enjoying the fame conferred on me.

I always do whatever comes my way. I never think of the past. However, one needs to keep in mind the wrong things one has done earlier. He should then try to rectify them.

He (Amitabh Bachchan) is the institution of acting. First time I was very nervous to work with him. However, it's ok now. But, I wish to work with my Mom now.

Hits
and flops are not in my hand. We do our job to the best to our ability
and leave the rest to the audience. Whatever the audience decides, we
humbly accept it.

I don't agree that the critics have praised me
but the audience has rejected me. I have always maintained that if I
were good in my film, even the audience would have liked it. I feel it
is just matter of luck, time and destiny.

(On finding out about his fan following in America) Is that so? I didn't know about this. If it is true, then it is very sweet of the people there to love me. But, honestly, I have no idea of my fan following.

An actor is disappointed when any film of his does not work at the box office. It's your film. You work hard on it. If it does not do well, you are bound to get upset.

You
try and analyse what went wrong. You try your best to identify the
problem and rectify it. Like I said, you make a film with your point of view, perception and sensibility. But the audience may not agree with it.

The judgement of
the film - as far as its commercial success is concerned - depends on
someone who has nothing to do with the film. The audience has got
nothing to do with your perception and your film. They have paid their
hard-earned money to see it. They will decide its fate.

It is
difficult to judge why my films didn't work. You have to keep trying
and trying. Hopefully, you will click one day. But you have to keep
trying.

He (Father) says that apart from your hard work, it also
depends on your luck. There is no particular formula in films that will
click. You just have to hope that the audience will like your work.
There is no set formula for films to click. If there was one, everybody
would have made a hit film.

I feel success comes to you when it
is due. It is as simple as that. It is not in my hand as to when
success will come to me. I cannot say if a film will be a success or a
failure.

I would like to believe all my films are different from
each other. I have not consciously gone out to see whether I should
experiment with this film or not. I just got the films I did. I agreed
to do those films because the script or the director inspired me. I
have never looked into details. I never felt 'Oh, this is a safe
script' or 'That is a risky script'. I never thought about it that way
before accepting a film.

I am popular because of
the audience. I am dumbfounded and grateful. The audiences have stood
by me for so long. I hope I can repay them one day. I know it is tough.
The only way I can repay my fans and the audience is to continue
entertaining them. And that is what I am trying to do.

I never
give myself a time frame. I don't believe in setting a deadline for
such matters. I believe in putting my heart and soul in whatever I am
doing and making it success. I keep trying till I do it right.

It is very difficult to prioritise a film. I cannot do it. I cannot and I will never be able to do that.

I
don't think any actor would like to be categorised or slotted. They
would like to believe they are versatile. I would like to believe the
same. But the audience categorises us. We have to deal with that. As of now, I am lucky to not be categorised.

I
would love to do comedy. But no such script has come to me so far. I am
dying to do a comedy. I think it is hardest thing to do in acting.
Hopefully, something will come my way later on.

We are actors. Our job is to act. At the end of the day we have to remember we are acting.

I
try to bring in as much realism as possible. I do that by becoming
observant. I sit with the director and understand my character and what
I need to bring out in that character.

If I come from a privileged family, it does not mean I cannot understand that character.

Every
time you sign with a new director, you have to adjust and find a
rapport with them. It is just that it takes time a rapport to form
between an actor and a director when they work with each other for the
first time.

There is no difference between a director from the
south and a director from the north. We all are making a film. This is
an entertainment industry. We all want to make good films.

I
hate chatting, simply because I can't type. It is an extremely painful
experience, which is why I am not into Instant Messengers or chat
rooms. We did a few chats when we were promoting 'Refugee', but that
memory is a distant haze because we were doing so many things online at
the time. In fact, I can't even remember seeing the official site of the movie.

I
have a Web cam similar to the one Jaggu Dada uses, but we were so
horrified with the way we looked that, after trying it once, I have
never used it again.

About Family

My dad and mom are too great for anyone to even try to be like them. So why should I even try?

Every son would like to walk in his fathers shoes.

I am so nervous when i'm around Dad. I can't even look at him!

Please
don't compare my father with Brando. It belittles both the actors who
are big in their own fields. Even if my father plays The Godfather,
he'll do so in his own way.

About Co-Stars

She's (Aishwarya) my senior but she's been wonderful and a real pleasure to work with. She's professional, talented, warm and co-operative. She's gone out of her way to help me on the sets.

(On working with Aishwarya in Kuch Na Kaho)This
is my second film with Ash. This time around we understood each other
better as co-stars and friends. She has given an incredible
performance. I hope to work with her again.

Rani is a very, very good friend, and by far one of
the best actors we have today. She doesn't need any help. She makes
anybody she works with look good. And that's exactly what happened in
'Yuva'. I worked with her first in a movie called 'Bas Itna Sa Khwab
Hai'. I had a lot of trouble with her then, and I have the same trouble now. Evidently she hasn't grown in years!

Well, Rani Mukherji is one of my best friends. Rani's and my chemistry work good together. People like to link the name of one with another. I never mind it. I have no time to dream of my soul mate. I am concentrating on my work. A relationship depends upon love and respect for each other.

Hrithik's a perfectionist. I believe that an actor should be imperfect... he should be surprising.

I am happy for Hrithik. I thought he gave a brilliant performance in Fiza.

Nothing short of
GREAT! Mani, as we all know, is a highly acclaimed and respected
director. It was definitely my dream to work with him. I am happy I
worked with him early in my career. He is just brilliant. I do not have
enough words to explain the experience of
working with someone like Mani. It is a great honour to be in his film.
Apart from what he does in films, he is also a great guy.

A director is a director. Like every actor, each director has his own unique way of working. They have unique approaches to their art and craft. Mani is no different. Like other directors, he has his own style.

It
is wonderful to work with so many cast members (Ajay Devgan, Vivek
Oberoi, Rani Mukerji, Kareena Kapoor and Esha Deol). They are all my
good friends. I have worked with Rani in my earlier films. She is a
good friend. Ajay is like an elder brother. This is the first time I am
working with Vivek. He is a great actor. There was a great sense of camaraderie on the sets. If you have people like Ajay and Vivek on the sets, it will be fun. We kept fooling around.

It was tragic when Vivek got hurt (during the shoots of Yuva). We all were concerned about him.

Antara is an immensely gifted artiste and somebody you have to be very 'prepared' in front of. You know when she walks on to the set that she knows her job, she's immensely prepared

umi82990IF-Sizzlerz

Amitabh Bachchan was voted the hottest male vegetarian by Peta for two years running.

Amitabh Bachchan and Sonia Gandhi were voted as "INDIAN(s) OF THE YEAR" by NDTV-24*7.

Amitabh was
confered the honourary Doctrate along with the title of Officer of
Letters" by Delhi University (from where he graduated) in 2006 for his
outstanding contribution to Indian cinema. This marked the second
doctrate for the actor in the very year.

Amitabh is the only actor in India to have won 'Best Actor' awards post sixty.

Amitabh Bachchan
has been nominated as Filmfare Best Actor twenty-eight times (a record)
and 9 times in the category of Best actor in a supporting role(also a
record).

In 1994, Amitabh Bachchan was awarded the Yash Bharati Samman, UP state's highest award from the Government of Uttar Pradesh.

In 1997, Amitabh
Bachchan was awarded the "Distinguished Alumni" award at the inaugural
function of the platinum jubilee celebrations of the Capital's largest
Central University.

In 1998, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the "Omega Award for Excellence" for his contribution to Indian Cinema

On October 14,
2000, Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the "Old Sherwoodians
Millennium" award for his Outstanding Achievement.

On January 8,
2001, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with "Best Artist of the
Millennium" award by Hero Honda and file magazine "Stardust".

Amitabh Bachchan
is a recipient of the prestigious "Dayawati Modi" award. This award is
among the highest awards in India in the field of Art, Culture and
Education .

In August of 2003,
Amitabh Bachchan was voted as the "Greatest Actor" in the film
personalities category in the Best of India poll conducted by Zee News.
He wins by the biggest margin in the entire poll breaching the 60 per
cent mark.

In 2003, Amitabh
Bachchan was awarded the prestigious Kishore Kumar award by the Madhya
Pradesh Government for excellence in acting and his unparalleled
contribution to the film industry .

In 2004, Amitabh Bachchan was conferred an honorary Doctorate by the Jhansi University .

In March of 2004,
Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with the Living Legend award by the
Federation of Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) in
recognition of his contribution to the Indian entertainment industry.

In April of 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the Dinanath Mangeshkar award for his contribution to films and music

In June of 2005,
the International Indian Film Academy (IIFA) and Fame multiplexes,
launched their first 'IIFA Wall of Fame', honouring Amitabh Bachchan,
who is also the IIFA Brand Ambassador.

In September of
2005, Amitabh Bachchan was ranked as the "Most popular Star in India"
by the Hansa Research's new syndicated study, Celebrity Track.

On October 25,
2005, Amitabh Bachchan was conferred with the "Diamond of India" award
by The International Gemological Institute (IGI).

In December of 2005, Amitabh Bachchan was voted as NDTV's Urban "Indian of the Year" through a nationwide poll.

After receiving
accolades and encomiums for putting the Indian movie industry on the
world map, Amitabh Bachchan was conferred an honorary Doctorate degree
on November 4, 2006 by his Alma Mater Delhi University

In December of
2006, Amitabh Bachchan has been voted "Indian of the Year" for second
year in a row. He was also named "Entertainer of the Year".

In January of
2007, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured by the Diamond Trading Company with
the "Forever Indian" award. He is the first Indian to received this
award.

At the 9th Mumbai
Academy of the Moving Image International Film Festival on March 8,
2007, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured with a "Special Award" for his
contribution to Indian cinema.

International honors and recognitions

In July of 1999,
Amitabh Bachchan was named the "Greatest Star of the Millennium" by BBC
online poll where he defeated many Hollywood legends such as Alec
Guinness, Marlon Brando, Sir Laurence Olivier and Charlie Chaplin.

In June of 2000,
Amitabh Bachchan became the first living Asian to have been
immortalised in wax at London's prestigious Madame Tussauds wax museum
.

Amitabh Bachchan
was conferred with a special commendation by the Government of South
Africa for his continued support for and his special affinity for the
people of South Africa.

In March of 2001,
Amitabh Bachchan was ranked as the "Most powerful actor in Bollywood"
by the American publishing and media company Forbes.

On September 10,
2001 Amitabh Bachchan was awarded the "Star of the Century" award at
the Alexandria International Film Festival. Egyptian Minister of
Culture Farouk Hosni presented Bachchan with the award in recognition
of his contribution to international cinema

An Amitabh Bachchan retrospective was held at the prestigious 5th Deauville Panasia Film Festival, on 14-16 March 2003.

In a poll
conducted by Britain's television channel Channel 4 in May of 2003,
Amitabh Bachchan was voted 92nd in the list of "the Greatest 100 Film
Stars of All time". Amitabh Bachchan was the only Indian actor on the
list, which is dominated by American and British actors .

In October of 2003, Amitabh Bachchan was honoured at the Marrakech International Film Festival .

In December of 2004, Amitabh Bachchan became the first Asian and only the fifth ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Foundation .

In April of 2005,
The Walter Reade Theater of Lincoln Centre in New York honoured Amitabh
Bachchan with a special tribute, retrospective--titled "Amitabh
Bachchan: The Biggest Film Star in the World" . The tribute also
included "An Evening with Amitabh Bachchan", a live appearance by
Bachchan hosted at the Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall .

In September of
2005, The Tropentheatre in Amsterdam honoured Amitabh Bachchan with a
special tribute. The tribute also included a live appearance and an
interview with Amitabh Bachchan .

In 2005, Amitabh
Bachchan has lent his voice to the Oscar-winning French documentary
March of the Penguins, directed by Luc Jacquet

British newspaper
The Sunday Times has described Bachchan as "Tom Cruise, Sean Connery
and Clint Eastwood rolled into one. Certainly there is no British actor
alive who shares his fame" the British newspaper said on December 4,
2006

Amitabh Bachchan is the only Asian to feature on the BBC's chat-show, Wogan

Amitabh Bachchan is a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF

Amitabh Bachchan
was given an honorary degree of Doctor of Arts by De Montfort
University in Leicester, UK on July 19, 2006 in recognition of his
distinguished career in films. He is the first Indian star to be feted
by a foreign university .

Amitabh Bachchan
will be honoured along with actors and directors from Hollywood at an
International Film Festival in Rabat, Morocco

Amitabh Bachchan
has become the first Indian celebrity and the sixth in the world to be
presented with a special certificate for his support to the
International Finance Facility for Immunisation (IFFI) in London

On January 27,
2007 Amitabh Bachchan has been awarded France's highest civilian
honour, Legion of Honour for his "exceptional career in the world of
cinema and beyond". Describing Bachchan as a "towering Indian
personality" and the "number-one actor of Indian cinema", Ambassador
Girard said the award "brings Bachchan into the international legion of
world's greatest artistes"

An unauthorised
biography of Amitabh Bachchan was released in the British capital by
the English author who described the Bollywood mega superstar as the
"Uber-God" of Indian cinema. He is India's "Most legendary Film Star" -
a cross between Clint Eastwood, Al Pacino, Elvis Presley and with more
than a hint of John Travolta," Jessica wrote in the book, her maiden
venture.

Amitabh Bachchan
will be honoured along with actors and directors from Hollywood at an
International Film Festival in Rabat, Morocco.

OTHER FILM AWARDS

NATIONAL AWARDS(Indian Version of Oscars):

Amitabh has won three national film awards till date.

SAAT HINDUSTANI (1970)AGNEEPATH (1990)BLACK (2005)

CIVILIAN HONOURS:

PADMA SHRI (1983)PADMA BHUSHAN (2005)

FILMFARE AWARDS:Amitabh has won 14 Filmfare awards.

BEST DEBUTANATE {Male} (for Saat Hindustani)-1970

BEST ACTOR IN A SUPPORTING ROLE:

ANAND-1971NAMAK HARAAM-1973MOHABBATEIN-2000

BEST ACTOR IN A LEAD ROLE (POPULAR CATEGORY):

AMAR AKBAR ANTHONY-1977DON-1979HUM-1991BLACK-2005

BEST ACTOR (CRITICS):

AKS-2001BLACK-2005

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD-1990

SUPERSTAR OF THE MILLENIUM/ACTOR OF THE 20TH CENTURY-2000

FILMFARE POWER AWARD-2003

Apart from National and
Filmfare awards, Bachchan has many IIFA, Zee Cine, Apsara, Screen,
Stardust awards and innumerable others.

Her daughter Shweta was born while Jaya and Amitabh were working on the film Sholay. Following this she retired from films and focused on raising her children. Her last film was Silsila (1981) also opposite her husband. During the late 1980s she wrote the story for the film Shahenshah which starred her husband in the lead.

Political career

Of late, Bachchan became active in politics, notably with the Samajwadi Party and has been a Member of Parliament, representing Rajya Sabha
till lately. In a recent controversy, she was disqualified from the
post of MP with the charge of occupying an office of profit along with
holding a position as MP as against the sub-clause (a) of Clause 1 of
Article 102 of the Constitution, where an MP is not allowed to hold any
office of profit.

Jaya Bachchan has returned to the Upper House as
MP of Samajwadi Party in July 2006. Her re-entry into parliament was a
great photo op for the journalists when her husband Amitabh Bachchan accompanied her to the swearing in ceremony

Personal life

On June 3, 1973, she married actor Amitabh Bachchan. The couple have two children: Shweta Bachchan-Nanda and Abhishek Bachchan,
who is also an actor. She has lived her entire married life in the
public eye, yet she has always kept her distance from the media
(especially when it comes to her personal life). Her son Abhishek Bachchan recently got married to Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai
on April 20, 2007. Her mother Indira Bhaduri resides alone in Bhopal in
Central India. Jaya has two grandchildren from her daughter Shweta;
Navya Naveli and Agastya Nanda.Her son-in law is Nikhil Nanda.

In 2005, Shweta walked the ramp with her parents and her brother for AIDS awareness. The show was a huge success and was attended by many celebrities including Preity Zinta.

She is a Citizen Journalist with the Indian News Channel, CNN IBN

Currently Shweta hosts NextGen, an interview based show aired on NDTV Profit, a private Television Channel, focussing on guests from diverse fields like art, literature, sports, films, fashion and business.

Trivia

For fitness, Shweta and her husband Nikhil practice Krav Maga under Mr. Vicky Kapoor head of International Krav Maga Federation, India.

Aishwarya then appeared in popular Bollywood films Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Taal
(1999). Her performance in the latter was highly acclaimed. She was
awarded the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role in the film. Taal was also commercially successful. She then had a cameo in the hit Mohabbatein(2000). Her role as a rape victim in Hamara Dil Aapke Paas Hai was appreciated.

In 2002, Rai appeared with superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Madhuri Dixit in the lavishly produced Devdas, which was a major box-office success. The film attracted overseas attention as well, receiving a special screening at the Cannes Film Festival. She won the Filmfare Best Actress Award for her role. Thereafter, she gained the media's attention abroad for her beauty.

She then appeared at the Closing Ceremony of the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, as part of a performance showcasing Indian culture, on behalf of the 2010 Commonwealth Games, to be held in New Delhi.
For her one-and-a-half-minute dance performance, Rai was reportedly
paid three crore rupees, the equivalent of about US$ 600,000. At the
end of the year, she had two releases: Umrao Jaan and Dhoom 2.
Umrao Jaan was a commercial disaster but it gained Aishwarya positive
reviews for her performance. However, her negative role in Dhoom 2, a sequel to the 2004 hit Dhoom brought her great attention as the movie was a hit.

On January 11, 2007, her film Guru, premiered in Toronto.
The film was commercially and critically very successful. Her most
recent film Provoked, where she played the protagonist, was released in
India and the UK. Although the movie was critically acclaimed all over
the world, it did commercially well only in the UK.

Aishwarya began dating Salman Khan, her co-star from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,
after filming ended. They broke up four years later, generating
substantial amount of press attention. Aishwarya reportedly said that
Salman physically abused her, which precipitated their parting of ways.
Soon after in 2004, she started dating actor, Vivek Oberoi. They broke up in 2006 when Ash felt he was using her name to his popularity.

Then gossip columnists started to link her with Bollywood celebrity Abhishek Bachchan, son of Amitabh Bachchan. She was frequently seen in public with him and his family, fueling rumors of an engagement. Finally, on January 14, 2007, Abhishek and Aishwarya officially announced their engagement. Then on April 20th they were married in India.

Wedding

The run-up as well as the marriage between Rai and Abhishek Bachchan was heavily covered by the media. Ongoing press coverage was also devoted to the fact that Rai is considered to be a "manglik"
Some media reports suggested that Rai underwent a number of rituals
before the marriage took place in order to remove her status as a
"manglik." Abhishek's father, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan, denied these reports. Rai and Bachchan married in 20th April2007
in a private ceremony. But being a high profile wedding in India, the
venue - Amitabh Bachchan's home, Prateeksha - was flooded with hundreds
of fans and media. There was a big scuffle between the media and the
security guards leading to reports that the media are now proposing
that Bachchans will be greeted with protests from media in their
forthcoming film functions despite Amitabh Bachchan's apology two days
after the wedding. Outside the venue of the wedding, was chaos and high
drama as a girl alleging to be Abhishek's first wife slit her wrist.

She has received six nominations for Best Actress at the Filmfare Awards and won twice.In 1999
she received two nominations in the Best Actress category for Hum Dil
De Chuke Sanam and Taal and won for Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam.In 2000 she was nominated in the Best Actress category as well as the Best Supporting Actress category.

When the IIFA awards took place in Amsterdam, Aishwarya had a breed of tulip named after her.[30] She is also the first female celebrity to make her mark on the Dubai Studio City Wall of Fame during the IIFA Awards in Dubai

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